corruption must be destroyed at the roots.

It was good to read in the news today that efforts to stamp out corruption seems to have surged at the end of 2011, and hopefully this diligence will augur well for the future. See the various stories.. 'duo to be charged in graft probe of Iskandar company's 2billion package', 'man charged with 1.6m bribery' and 'Perkim trio claim trial to CBT'

However, the common question in those stories that begs to be answered is, since such large amounts of bribery have been paid and all the parties have been positively identified and charged, what happens to the company or contractor who has paid the bribes and who has been awarded the projects? It is obvious to us readers that such contracts awarded will have been at inflated prices, and would naturally NOT have been value for money. In other words, the Government or the authorities would have been short changed with contracts of substandard quality and safety.

Do the 'bribe givers' continue with the projects that they have procured through such unethical means? Do the shortchanged Government or the public have to live with projects of an inferior quality and standard? In this connection, I wish to relate a news story I read in a SE Asian country some 12 years ago, when the President of the country was implicated in a free textbook scheme project. It was reported in a survey, initiated as a result the exposure, that because of corruption, the free textbooks distributed to all students were worth only 60% of the value that has been paid, and that the remaining 40% of the value has been lost to corruption!

There is an oft quoted saying that "it takes two hands to clap", and in my opinion, to weed out corruption at the roots, we should look to  ensure that the cause is addressed and not just the symptoms. 'One hand clapping' will not make a sound.

We should also view seriously bucreautic red tape as another ominous form of corruption even though cash has not 'changed hands'. "Red tape and little Napoleons" are cynical ways to make legitimate businessmen into 'bribe givers', and the other prong of an effective anti corruption drive must be to get rid of this obstacle. In my view, an entrenched lackadaisical Government attitude is directly responsible for the growth of red tape and bureaucracy. Needless to say, red tape is discouraging investments, local and foreign, into the country as has been frustratingly expressed in the letter, Red tape a turn off ..

We have much to look forward to in 2012, are we up to it?

Happy New Year.